As one's attention span grows shorter and available free time drops to a minimum, the whole concept of episodic PC gaming begins to look more appealing by the minute. For those with few spare moments in the day or gamers who are constantly on the go, it's great to be able to experience a game in easily digestible, bite-sized portions.

There's also a certain satisfaction to be gained from knowing you can complete a game in a single sitting when the mood strikes. The PC version of Crackpot Entertainments' Insecticide may be an already short game cut right down the middle into even shorter segments, but Episode 1 - the first of two - is a compelling experiment with plenty of high points to even-out the few bad moments.

In theory, combining a classic point-and-click style adventure with third-person platforming gameplay was not a bad concept to go with for Insecticide. The old-school PC adventure format is more than a little dated, and any efforts to offer a new twist to keep things fresh are certainly welcome. The problem is slapping two or more very different genres together haphazardly can lead to a lack of cohesion. It's a flaw Episode 1 doesn't escape, despite a very strong setting and interesting characters that draw players into the plot - two crucial elements that save the day in the end.

Insecticide injects a touch of humor into the archetypal, gloomy, detective crime noir tale, by dropping players into a world filled with talking bugs. There are no humans to be found in this mystery adventure where puns flow freely like a freshly tapped keg of Nectarola. Set in the cruddy, industrial city of Troi, the story follows Chrys Liszt - the lone female on a small, quirky detective force made up of fellow insects - and her partner, Roachy Caruthers, as they're tracking down the parties responsible for an apparent murder at the nearby Nectarola soda factory. Between interrogating witnesses, chasing down suspects, putting clues together, cracking jokes, and blasting anyone who gets in their way, the two make a solid sleuthing duo in this stylish, anthropomorphic action-adventure.

It's difficult to determine whether the game is primarily an adventure title or an action-platformer; it's neither, and it's both. The gameplay meshes it all together, switching back-and-forth between classic exploration with point-and-click elements and fast-paced shooting action from a third-person perspective. The adventure stages let you move around to examine for clues and interrogate witnesses in a reasonably contained area. As you encounter hotspot areas, the camera can be changed to a more traditional static scene where the mouse is used to interact with objects and use items from your inventory. Solving most of the puzzles is a matter of finding the right item and using it on the proper spot. Interrogations bring up dialogue trees to select from to gain information and occasionally uncover evidence. Overall, these portions of the game are nicely done, and the only annoyance is an inability to skip through dialogue - you'll end up talking to the same people over and over again, while trying to figure out where the next clue is.

In contrast, the platform levels are solely about jumping, climbing, and blasting through the gritty 3D cityscape of Troi. For a short time, these sections really provide a nice respite from the slower, meticulous adventure stages. Unfortunately, the majority of these levels focus on chasing one of several suspects high and low. All of the enemies you'll encounter in these portions of the game are typically clones of whatever villain you're pursuing. The lack of variety is very noticeable.